Medical and Health

Like many countries in Eastern Europe, Estonia is suffering a brain drain of doctors and nurses to the West. Despite this, the standard of medical care is generally looked on as good, especially in the capital Tallinn.

Doctors and Hospitals

The EU medical card doesn’t cover private treatment, so make sure to use a healthcare provider that has a contract with the Estonian Health Insurance Fund.

Visits to a GP are free for card holders. There’s a small charge for a doctor’s call-out, also for treatment if you need to see a specialist for an existing medical problem (e.g., cardiologist for a heart problem).

If you have to go into hospital, there’s a small daily inpatient fee for the first 10 days. There’s no inpatient fee for children under 18, pregnancy/childbirth and intensive care services.

You can often pay extra for an upgrade to a private room – these types of costs are usually covered by comprehensive travel insurance, not the EHIC.

Dentists: Only emergency dental treatment (e.g., abscess, tooth removal) is free. No charge for dental treatment for under 19s. Charges are non-refundable in Estonia, but you may be able to claim back in the UK.

Ambulance: Emergency transport is free.

Prescriptions

Some medicines that are readily available from the corner shop in the UK, e.g., Aspirin, are only available in pharmacies in Estonia. There’s a standard charge for prescriptions, with discounts on some medicines for EHIC card holders. If your medicine isn’t on the list of approved drugs, you’ll have to pay full price.